Friday, June 5, 2015

Skating Fridays

Mental block

I am currently experiencing a mental block at the rink. As part of my downtime since Adult Nationals, I have been working on refining my existing elements and learning new ones. A jump that I worked on intermittently last year was the double salchow. I landed two last summer.

However, because I was laser focused on my Gold Freestyle program, I haven't worked on it in months. Now I'm back and re-focusing my efforts on this jump. I'd love to add it to my freestyle program, since I am keeping the same program for next year.

I know that I have the physical ability to land this jump. The part that is preventing me from doing it is my brain. I have a mental block on this jump right now. Part of it is a very real fear of falling and seriously injuring myself. Last year, I tore my meniscus so that injury is always in the back of my head, and I don't want to repeat something similar. The other part of me is freaking out because it is a double jump.

Coach B and I have been working on the pre-jump exercises and all kinds of preparations to get me ready for the real thing. We've done some work on the harness, and I can land them without any help from her. But once the harness comes off, it's a completely different game.

As the Olympic coach said to me last year, I will land this jump when I am ready. I know I am ready, but there is still a little voice in my head that is telling me that I am scared.

Have any advice on how to tell that voice to be quiet? How do you get over mental blocks in skating or in everyday life?

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